Satellite News

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) has been granted an Operational License by the U.S. Air Force for the use of Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on the Florida coast.

NASA has awarded Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne a contract change to provide additional sea-level and simulated-altitude ground tests for the J-2X rocket engine.

Thales Alenia Space announced it has started construction of 16 Medium Earth Orbit communications satellites for O3b Networks Limited, with options for additional spacecraft.

Thales Alenia Space announced a contract with JSC “ISS – Reshetnev Company” (formerly NPO-PM) to supply the Amos-5 communications satellite payload. ISS, prime contractor, is building the satellite for Israeli satellite operator Spacecom Ltd.

SSTL has completed an in-orbit test campaign analysing signals from the new GIOVE-B satellite for ESA. The results suggest that GIOVE-B is operating well and in turn validates technologies integral to the EU-funded Galileo Satellite Navigation project.

After its launch by Proton on 18 August 2008, the Astrium-built Inmarsat-4 F3 satellite took four apogee engine firings to reach geosynchronous orbit. Following full deployment of its 45-m solar array and 80-m^2 antenna reflector the spacecraft adopted its final Earth-pointing control mode.

Thales Alenia Space announced the signature of a contract with RASCOMSTAR-QAF for the construction of the RASCOM-QAF1R telecommunication satellite.

In the story “Five years ago: the fall of NOAA-N Prime,” our 7 September e-mail update incorrectly mentioned “the XTAR-EUR incident.” Instead it should have read “Spainsat incident.” Please refer to the online archive for the complete, corrected text.